How situations in a blink of an eye can go south

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Maverick

Maverick

Awesome Friend
Neighbor
Joined
Mar 8, 2013
Messages
10,652
Location
Washington State - between 2 mountains and a river
I haven't been on very much due to rehab for the past 5 weeks. Me and my daughter taken the horses up about 8 miles to check on the creek to remove debris and beaver dams from the water in preparation for winter, on the last leg of the journey we decided to check the small falls and make sure the water is flowing properly. We noticed a dam at the foot of one of the falls and decided to clear it, one of the rocks I was standing on broke from the edge sending me down 45 feet tumbling over the rocks into the water below, my right side was paralyzed, daughter finally pulled out of the water, she got my clothes off and wrapped me in two wool blankets, I couldn't get on the horse, setting or standing was out of the question. She written a note and put it in the dog collar tying a fluorescent orange ribbon to the collar sending my dog home, by the time the kids got their it was night, it took about 4 or 5 hours to get me back home. I have a fractured hip and leg broken in two places and a dislocated shoulder.
I guess the jest of it, is it don't matter how sure footed you are **** happens. My complacency caused this because I've gotten away with it for many years in the same spot, this time my luck ran out!

Several of the kids gone back the next day to retrieve a few items left behind and taken pictures, here are a couple of them.

I was wedged on the left side of the big log resting on the rock below it
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This is what I tumbled down over before I fell over a 15 foot drop off to the location in the above picture
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Praise God that's ALL you hurt. Yes, plenty of damage, too much, but this could have been fatal. One good head-smack and that would have been it. Check the warranty on that rock that broke!

Prayers for quick healing.
 
I was wondering what happened to you Maverick, its indeed sad news, but it could have been worse in so many ways. It's good you didn't go alone, having 2 people go do what only takes one is always smart. Having a trained dog with you is a great asset. And having a daughter that's as smart as that is priceless
Its great that your recovering.
 
Maverick said:
The daughter is a flight/triage nurse, the dog knows the area pretty good, I never worry about him, the note and ribbon thing we have used a few times but generally not in cases like this. Doctor said it may take a year but more then likely I will have a permanent limp.
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Go to town and buy a climbing harness and some 12 mm climbing rope next time you plan on doing something stupid. You have friends and family across the globe who care for you, you got off lucky so next time think about the people who care about you before you try to play mountain goats. Your daughter is wonderful.
 
WGregMiller said:
Mav, you’re not 18 any more. Me either, but I forget it all the time myself.

Glad it isn’t worse my friend. Keep up updated on your progress. Sounds like you’ll have more time to hang out here.
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You got the right, at 18 I probably would have walked away, I reckon 66 is a bit too old for this crap. I thought I would have spent more time here but since the injury I'm been a constant state of fatigue and find my self dozing off often and that dam airbag wrapped around my whole leg keeps me up most of the night when the compressor kicked on, the 21st century and they can't make this **** quiet?
 
Mav, your #1 job is healing. Do a little research, there are a number of vitamins that are key to healing. Get them & take them. You're tired because all your energy is going into repairing your body. Don't make it harder for yourself!
 
We have all been there. Some resulted in more damage than other but we have been there. This is especially true when you are in a situation (or location) you have been numinous times. Some things I just don't understand about getting older. Was cutting some trees recently. That chainsaw I used to love because of its weight just seems to have gotten a lot heaver. I never remember that spitting maul being that heavy. :D I haven't changed so over time those items must have just gained some weight. :D

Take care and get better.
 
Glad that you had your daughter there with you Mav. And that your going to make a full, but painful recovery. Since I'm here most of the time alone, a serious accident is my wife's biggest fear for me. I always check in with her by text when I'm done for the day.
Years ago I was working in the woods by myself when I got tangled up with a draft mule and was dragged for over a mile before I could cut myself loose. It took several hours to drag myself home. Had several broken bones, concussion and lots of missing skin. The docs didn't think I was going to make it.
An accident like this can happen so fast that it's impossible to react.
Good luck with your recovery!
 
DrHenley said:
I turn on location sharing on my phone and share my location with my wife whenever I go into the wild now. I am usually alone.

At least she'll know where to collect the body... :rolleyes:
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That's what me and the wife do with our iphones, it gives us approximate position every two minutes. Unfortunately that only works from home going West or South, signal drops off 1/2 mile North and about the same heading East. I generally carry an PLB when heading out by myself, I really should have had one regardless who I'm with, again, complacency got the best of me.
 
"I really should have had one regardless who I'm with, again, complacency got the best of me. I really should have had one regardless who I'm with, again, complacency got the best of me. I really should have had one regardless who I'm with, again, complacency got the best of me. I really should have had one regardless who I'm with, again, complacency got the best of me. I really should have had one regardless who I'm with, again, complacency got the best of me.

Terrifying isnt it how easy it is to get complacent, done something similar myself some years ago. Complacency kills we are the LAST people who can afford complacency.
 
I had been wondering where you had been Mav. I'm glad you had your daughter with you that day along with your dog. . . I 'm sorry it's going to be a long healing process. Just make sure you listen to your doctor's advice and take it easy. My guess is your the type who will eventually start going stir crazy, but it is going to be a slow healing process especially the older we get.
 
Doc,

How do you turn on "location sharing" with your phone? I've been requested to do that as some things I do are, let's say, not safe... and my corpse wouldn't be found for weeks. At least she'd like to know where to find my remains.
 
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